Wedding venue

I can feel your pain. A winter wedding pretty much excludes outdoor venues, which complicates matters a little.

I had some bohemian friends who got married at Dalston boys club (I presume they officially tied the knot at the town hall before hand). It was very cool and definitely unusual and also affordable I believe.

Dalston boy's club

I was a traditional bride with a smaller budget, and because I really wanted a "princess" feel and nice photos, I spent the nights before in a stately home/castle place and my husband came to see me before the ceremony there. That way we had the feel of a nice venue and all the pictures, but our actual ceremony took place in a church (free to us as my husband's church) and a lovely cafe with nice sofas etc that we rented for 500 pounds. It wasn't in London / Essex though so I won't share.

There are definitely ways of being creative to get what you want for cheap!

I'm not local but we've opted to get married at a venue called The Plough at Eaton in Cheshire which is basically a small country pub with a beautiful barn attached (also having a winter wedding) as this worked out considerably cheaper than the standard stately home venues.

Have you looking for country pub style venues near you? I'd also suggest looking at the big hotel chains, they may not be as glamourous but you can usually get good deals. One of my friends got married at a local registry office and then hired out a village hall for her wedding and it was lovely and also very cost effective. Maybe something like that would work for you? It depends on how any guests you're planning but you could also just hire a function room at a local pub or restaurant for a reception as a way to cut costs. Some of them are absolutely beautiful.

My uncle got married at Camden Town Hall and had the reception at a nearby pub function room and it was lovely.

View quoted message Thank you, it is options I’ve looked at, I would prefer to get married and have the reception in the same place but London is ridiculously pricey, I will probably have to look further afield but still want to try and make it convenient for guests, you have given me some ideas though, thanks